Puppets (傀儡, Kugutsu) are used as weapons by puppeteers. They are most often humanoid-looking creations, but depending on the creator, can resemble anything. They are fashioned in a manner that uses every part as a weapon, giving the puppeteer a myriad of ways to manipulate it. Puppets are long-ranged type weapons that can be used offensively, defensively or for supplementary reasons, and are controlled via Chakra Threads. Because of their design, the weak point of any puppet is its joints. There are two types of puppets: ones made from material such as wood, and Human Puppets. Famed puppeteer Sasori of the Red Sand was the inventor of human puppets and also created a puppet which he wore like armour, bypassing the usual disadvantage that puppeteers had of being weak in close-ranged combat. Puppets are often sealed within scrolls using fūinjutsu, for ease of transport.

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Known Puppets

Crow

Main article: Crow (puppet)Karasu (烏, Karasu, Literally meaning: Crow) is a puppet, originally created by Sasori, but later inherited by Kankurō. It resembles a three-eyed, four-armed humanoid with jagged teeth and spiky brown hairstyle protruding from the top of its head and framing the sides. In Part I, Kankurō typically keeps Karasu wrapped in bandages on his back, and he is able to switch places with it at will using the Body Replacement Technique.

Black Ant

Main article: Black AntKuroari (黒蟻, Kuroari, Literally meaning: Black Ant) is a puppet, originally created by Sasori, but was passed onto Kankurō. It has a much longer head than Karasu with a bucket-shaped face sporting two sharp red horns and six arms; its facial features include three eyes similar to Karasu, with a dark dishevelled hairstyle. Its overall body-frame somewhat resembles a large barrel.

Salamander

Main article: SalamanderSanshōuo (山椒魚, Sanshōuo, Literally meaning: Salamander) is a puppet, originally created by Sasori, but passed onto Kankurō. Unlike Kankurō's other puppets, Sanshōuo stays true to its name and resembles a salamander. Sanshōuo is a puppet that has high defensive power.

Hiruko

See also: HirukoHiruko (ヒルコ, Hiruko) was one of Sasori's favourite puppets, which he adorned with the regular Akatsuki outfit and wore so often that others came to recognise him only while he was wearing it. He even has a deeper and gruffer voice while wearing it. The reason for using this puppet so much was not just for its powerful offensive abilities, but also for its high defensive properties. Hiruko has a mechanical tail extending from the mouth of what appears to be a mask on his back, a recent addition to add extra defence to a weak point. The left arm is rigged with a projectile launcher capable of firing shrapnel, and the mouth serves as a similar projectile-firing device. In the anime, Hiruko is said to be a human puppet.

Third Kazekage

See also: Third Kazekage (puppet)
The Third Kazekage (三代目風影, Sandaime Kazekage) was Sasori's favourite Human Puppet due to the difficult time he had acquiring it. Several decades before the start of the series, the Third Kazekage was kidnapped and killed by Sasori. Sasori then turned him into a human puppet. The Third Kazekage's right arm was equipped with multiple poison dipped blades, where his left arm was equipped with a special summoning technique that summoned a mass amount of puppet arms. Some of these puppet arms expelled poison, while others shot out kunai with ropes tied to them to tie up opponents. However, this puppet's most deadly capabilities is the Iron Sand, which was a special ability passed down from the Third Kazekage when he was alive. The sand being soaked in poison, this increases the deadliness of the already frightening iron powder manipulating abilities.

Mother and Father

See also: Mother and Father
The first puppets Sasori created were in the likeness of hisparents, in the hopes of finding parental love. As the puppets were not real living life forms, this effort failed, and Sasori abandoned them. Chiyo kept them and modified them for combat purposes, and used them against their creator. In battle, both puppets are armed with a Mechanical Light Shield Block and cutting steel wires that link the two puppets together. Mother also carried a katana, while Father carried a kunai-studded chain-whip.

Scorpion

See also: ScorpionSasori, although thirty-five years old, maintains the appearance of a teenage boy. Sasori's unnaturally young appearance is a product of his design: most of his body is actually a puppet. In place of his stomach is a thick cable coiled around a pole, allowing Sasori to use it as a stinger and retract it as necessary. Attached to his back is a scroll holder, which Sasori uses to store his human puppets. Sasori also added a pair of arms to his back, each equipped with five large claws, as well as flame-throwers to each of his hands. Installed in his right chest is a mechanism that can spin numerous chakra strings, allowing Sasori to control hundreds of puppets at once and giving him a drastic advantage over all other puppeteers. Sasori's left chest holds the only part of him still human and thus capable of controlling chakra, a cylinder-shaped device containing his core. Written on the cylinder is the kanji for "scorpion". Upon being retrieved by Kankurō, Sasori's body was modified removing his core. Kankurō has also seemingly added a blade launching system for use in his Red Secret Technique Machinery Triangles.

The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets

See also: Chikamatsu Collection
The Chikamatsu Collection was created by the first puppet master, Monzaemon Chikamatsu. They later came into Chiyo's possession. They were designed to work together for devastating capabilities, and were designed to be much stronger than normal puppets. They are capable of taking down an entire castle when used by the right puppeteer.

Sasori's Hundred Puppet Army

See also: Hundred Puppet Army
The One Hundred Puppets used by Sasori are said to be able to take down an entire country. Each one is an opponent defeated and converted into a human puppet, specifically chosen from his collection of 298 of such puppets, being adorned with special red clothing. Due to Sasori converting himself into a puppet, he has a special mechanism that allows him to control one hundred puppets. Though they lack teamwork, they use sheer attrition to wear down the opposition.

Others

Young Sunagakure puppetters use simple toy snake puppets for amusement. The mechanics behind the toy was likened to the Garian Sword by Kankurō.[1]

The three Ryūdōin brothers used a type of wooden doll training posts as puppets. While most were controlled by a tag on the back of their head, some were controlled by the Puppet Technique. Puppets almost identical to these appeared in a Shippūden filler episode being used as a defence measure for Iō's weapon lab.

Puppet Walker: A simple B-Rank puppet with razor-like claws. It has the "cut" (斬) kanji in its chest, and "self" (自) in its neck.

Kamikaze Puppet: A kamikaze A-rank puppet that can self destruct. It has a 自 in its neck.

Mecha Puppet: A-rank puppet that fires small electric orbs from its arms. It has the "shoot" (射) kanji in its chest, and 自 in its nose.

Insect Drones: Bee-like puppets that uses electrical attacks. They can also produce smaller "drones" from within their carapaces. It has the "thunder" (雷) kanji in both wings.

Elemental Puppets: Two puppets that use elemental attacks. The Red Elemental Puppet uses fire attacks, and has a "flame (炎) kanji on its chest, and the Blue Elemental Puppet uses water attacks, with a "water" (水) kanji on its left arm.

Lizard Puppet: An S-rank puppet. It is similar to Salamander as it is based on a lizard and breathes fire, stick to vertical surfaces, and spin itself rapidly in midair for a strong rolling tackle. It's use was supposedly exclusive only for the top-ranking members of the Shirogane.

Master Puppet: The most powerful puppet from the Shirogane clan. It is a six-armed, four-faced puppet seemingly inspired by the Asura. It has many fearsome abilities, such as elemental attacks and regeneration.

Four unnamed puppets appear in Chapter 7, protecting Menō with a barrier.

In the game Naruto Shippūden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising, a puppet known as the Vampire Puppet is encountered in a B-Rank and later in an A-Rank mission. Like the Master Puppet of the Shirogane clan, this puppet seems to have a will of its own and attacks and feasts on the blood of women. It later sets its sights on tomato juice, stealing it from peddlers. After its second defeat it is sent to work at a place called "Tomato Land" where tomato juice is produced. It became happy there, earning tomato juice instead of money.

Speed Puppet: A puppet with rotating and extendible arms, piercing eyes and hiding nine swords in its belly. Once destroyed, explosive tags attached inside of its body explodes to cause damage.

Golem Puppet: A puppet using the Ryūmyaku chakra allowing it to fly, can shoot a mini beam of Ryūmyaku chakra through their mouths and can throw kunai from its belt and connected with Ryūmyaku chakra threads. There are three different variants:

One having three large, rotating claws on each arm.

Another having a Ryūmyaku chakra cannon in its right arm (could shoot a great beam or balls of Ryūmyaku chakra).

The last having a double mass in its right arm.

Guardian Puppet: A puppet can shoot several kunai from its chest, having a hidden blade in its right arm and a slow speed but a considerable force. Once the target is surrounded by several of them, the puppeteer can lock his target by merging several Guardian Puppet to create a prison and a giant version of its.

Giant Guardian Puppet: A giant puppet created by merging several Guardian Puppet. If a target is trapped inside the puppet, the puppet absorb his chakra.

Using several basic puppets with no weapons or defensive means.

In the Adventures at Sea Arc, Kokuyō used large Mecha-like puppets as distractions for his Hundred Puppet Soul Binding technique. Of the two seen, the first had an open cockpit which he sat in and controlled it from, the second was a massive purple machine his hid underground which he used to grab Shizuka.